Arresting Assange Results In Millions Of Cyber Attacks

Ecuador’s embassy in London has been relentlessly attacked since the arrest of WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange, according to Ecuador’s president, Lenin Moreno. Assange hid out from authorities inside the embassy for seven years, until he was abruptly arrested last week.

Moreno also accused Assange of using the embassy as a “center for spying.” Ecuador’s previous president, Rafael Correa, had been a staunch ally of Assange. He allowed Assange to hole up in the embassy, where he allegedly engaged in espionage.

“It is unfortunate that, from our territory and with the permission of authorities of the previous government, facilities have been provided within the Ecuadorian embassy in London to interfere in processes of other states,” Moreno said in a statement after Assange’s arrest. “We cannot allow our house, the house that opened its doors, to become a center for spying. This activity violates asylum conditions. Our decision is not arbitrary but is based on international law.”

Moreno estimated the Ecuadorian embassy has faced 40 million cyber attacks in the last five days as a form of retaliation for Assange’s arrest.

Assange is now facing criminal charges in several countries, including sexual assault charges in his native Sweden. In the U.S., Assange is wanted for leaking classified information from the Department of Defense. He could also be charged with crimes related to Wikileaks’ decision to publish hacked e-mails from the Democratic National Committee prior to the 2016 election. Many believe the hacked e-mails undermined the Democratic party and weakened morale before voters headed to the polls.